The aftermath for the defeated heroines is cold.
I'm screwed.
I'd been planning to carefully steer events step by step starting from the academy, setting up chances for Brayden and the other defeated heroines to grow closer. But today is already graduation.
As I headed to my seat for breakfast, I was hit with a scene that really drove home the reality of the graduation ceremony.
It stood out like a sore thumb to me, a diehard Loveholic fan.
"Sniff... Hic..."
A girl with golden wavy hair, dressed in a flashy frilled gown, was shedding tears drop by drop. Her trembling hands fumbled for her fork and knife.
Clang—
But her hands shook so badly the fork dropped to the floor. She didn't even think to pick it up or grab a new one—just sat there sobbing.
Lenis.
The youngest daughter of the Valentin Count family from the Pratea Kingdom.
In the bustling student dining hall, bawling her eyes out like this was a far cry from her usual noble, dignified demeanor that she obsessed over.
I turned my gaze elsewhere, only to spot a blonde ponytail elf sitting blankly at her table like a refugee, not touching her food.
Elfin.
The elf who hated showing weakness to anyone and was always desperate to grow stronger, to achieve results befitting her status.
She loathed wasting time zoning out and would always find something to do alone if she had free moments, constantly keeping herself in motion. But right now, she looked like a soulless corpse.
This was another scene unimaginable in her normal state.
And one more person.
Ravi.
The cute pink bob-cut girl with distinctive bunny ears was, unlike the other two, actually eating amid all this.
But her face—which usually beamed with a goofy, ever-present smile—held not a trace of joy.
Her perky bunny ears, always standing straight up, now hung limp, perfectly mirroring her mood.
Compared to the others, she was trying hard to act normal and carry on with her routine...
But recalling how she never lost her smile even when bullied or discriminated against, this blank expression was utterly unthinkable.
Lenis, Elfin, Ravi.
Loveholic's popular heroines—and the defeated ones at that.
Normally, those five—Brayden and Celine included—always ate together. But now, without those two, and even the three of them sitting far apart from each other.
It made sense, though.
Graduation day meant that just yesterday, Brayden and Celine had confessed to each other and become a couple.
In the original Loveholic, their union marked the end, with no description of what came right after—like today, the very next day.
"It's a promise! No matter who among us ends up with Brayden, the rest won't resent them! And our friendship stays the same too!"
The four heroines had definitely made that pinky promise in the story.
The original ended with Brayden and Celine together, skipping any aftermath for the defeated trio. With that promise in place, I'd assumed they'd overcome it on their own and move on smoothly...
'This is hard to watch.'
In a webnovel, they could've glossed over it with "a few years later" and no mention. But reality was this harsh.
The defeated heroines, ignored by all, were at rock bottom right after their loss. Pure depression.
It hurt seeing my favorite characters mired in such gloom.
But what good would it do if I went over to comfort them?
At this point, past the Loveholic ending, Alvis's history of sleaziness had tanked my reputation with the defeated heroines.
Any attempt to console them now would just come off as more scheming.
They're already in the worst mood—poking the bear would only make it worse.
So I decided to observe for now, grabbed my meal, and was about to sit when—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙'Resister of Fate': Every choice you make is tested against fate. If it fails to alter the predetermined outcome, you suffer severe backlash. As a result of this choice, you will receive Stage 1 backlash.
"Wha—"
Thud—
In that instant, I felt a sharp pain like someone had slammed a fist into my gut.
The agony hit so suddenly I couldn't even scream—just gaped with my mouth wide, clutching my stomach.
'Guh... What the hell...'
The pain didn't end in one burst; it throbbed repeatedly.
They'd said this was the weakest, Stage 1 out of five...
'Fuck, why does it hurt so much! St-stop...'
It was worse than any stomachache I'd ever had in my life.
Starting in my abdomen, it spread through my upper body, lasting about 20 seconds before vanishing. But by then, I was drenched in cold sweat.
That's when I truly felt the risk of this 'Resister of Fate' title.
If Stage 1 is this bad, how horrific are Stages 2, 3, and beyond?
Does Stage 5 straight-up kill me?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got—I couldn't take it.
Why the hell am I suffering through this bullshit?
It's all because of that asshole author who gave the harem story such a trash ending!
No, it's the game devs who made this JOAT mess that butchers the original!
Actually, it starts with selling off their IP like that!
Cursing them all inwardly, I took deep breaths and stood up.
Ignoring those defeated heroines would just repeat this pain.
'Damn it, I still don't know what's improved, but I'm already tasting the risks.'
Lenis, Elfin, Ravi.
I have to talk to one of them? Does that mean this is another crossroads?
I eyed the three, radiating gloom from every pore.
Lenis Valentin.
Fundamentally calculating, with an inferiority complex about her background making her defensive. She's obsessed with appearing noble and aristocratic to others.
For her to be sobbing messily in the dining hall—going over to "comfort" her would 100% heighten her wariness and resentment.
Elfin.
Fiercely competitive, with elf pride making her look down on humans. Put nicely, she's aloof; put harshly, she's a bitch.
The only non-elves she'd opened up to were Brayden, Celine, Lenis, and Ravi. Approaching her would just get me told to fuck off.
Finally, Ravi.
As a Bunny tribe member, she'd faced subtle discrimination from humans, with nowhere to belong at the academy.
Like Elfin, she'd only warmed to the Loveholic leads—but while Elfin felt superior to humans, Ravi felt inferior.
She'd blurt out whatever without filter, but her bunny nature made her mild and sweet overall. Unlike the others, she probably wouldn't chase me off on sight.
Alright, Ravi it is.
I was inwardly anxious this 'Resister of Fate' crap might act up again, but thankfully, nothing happened.
I took a seat across from Ravi, who was mechanically eating. She slowly lifted her head to look at me.
Her dead eyes flicked over me once, then dropped back to her plate without a word.
"Why the deadpan face? This isn't like you."
I knew the reason, of course, but here I was supposed to play dumb, so I feigned ignorance.
Ravi answered instantly, without even glancing up.
"Leave me alone."
"The girl who grinned like an idiot everywhere, even seeming half-brain damaged, is sitting here stone-faced eating solo. How could I not notice? You okay? Where are your usual crew? Brayden?"
"Brayden's... Ugh..."
Just thinking about it brought fresh waves of sorrow; tears welled up in her bright, round eyes.
I quickly pulled out my handkerchief and handed it over. She wiped her eyes, then returned it.
"...Thanks."
"You two fight? Doesn't seem like Brayden's type."
"We didn't fight. It's just... something came up. Thanks for caring, but leave me alone."
"Can't do that. With your ears drooping like that and your eyes all glassy, radiating depression—a lady like this, I can't just ignore and walk away. Feels too guilty. If you don't wanna talk about it, fine. I'll just keep you company and chat."
"I don't need company."
"Yeah? Then I'll just ramble solo till I go. Think of me as the clown you hired to liven things up."
Ravi's race is the Bunny tribe, long discriminated against and mocked by humans... that's the lore.
To me, a modern guy, she was the perfect woman: innocent-sexy bunny girl with huge tits and natural bunny ears.
Seeing her limp ears made me suddenly itch to touch them.
She was my top favorite character, and us bunny lovers lived by cries of "Oh~ I wanna suck on Ravi's ears~" Now facing the real thing...
Ravi glanced my way briefly at my words.
"You've clung like this for three years straight and still won't quit. Even if not Lenis or Elfin, why bother with me?"
"Hm? There's a reason it'd be okay with them but not you?"
"Because I'm Bunny tribe."
"You're hearing all kinds of nonsense. Someone shows interest and wants to talk—does being Bunny tribe make that wrong?"
"...?"
Ravi tilted her head slightly.
Not used to it, huh. Being treated like a real person. Up till now, only Brayden had done that.
Just then, the entrance area grew rowdy.
Some whistled, others shouted congratulations and clapped.
Mine and Ravi's heads turned in unison. In that moment, Ravi froze solid.
Through the open dining hall doors, Brayden and Celine entered, hands clasped.